The Arizona sentinel., 1887-12-24
SAVING A LIFE.
A Young Man Tells Why He Is No Longer
in the Hero Business.


in the Hero Business.
l am a good swimmer and, l ar
told, noted for my feats of skill and
endurance in the water. If l wasn't
would not be alive now to tell my
story.
My knowledge of the art combined
with a perfect confidence in myself,
have, on three different occasions,
saved my life, when others, giving me
up for lost have stood by, watching g
me nearly drown, without an attempt
at rescue, although some of them were
capital swimmers.
OF course, they yelled and rushed
madiy about, and threw things in the
water, and shouted crazy commands,
but not one of them would risk his
precious life for mine. 1 thoroughly
detest such cowardice.
Though have always burned to dis
tinguish myself in saving life, and
have often purposely gone where my
services in that line might be needed,
it was only recently that the longed-
for emergency came to enable me to
prove myself the brave and fearless
man that l knew was. 1t happened
thiswise. =.
Attached to the hotel where 1 was
boarding was an immense cistern so
deep and dangerous that its vicinity
was forbidden playground for the
children.
/, as was my custom, was lounging
on the beach in front of the hotel,
watching the bathers. especially the
venturesome ones, and hoping that one
of them might give me the desired
chance to rescue him, or rather her,
from the breakers before all the people
there and be crowned hero. with my
name conspicuously printed in all the
papers.
One beautiful girl in particular ]
noticed, and each time she tossed her
shapely bare arms from the water my
heart leaped in my throat, for thought
my dream of res cuing lovely heiress
and then marrying her was about to
be realized.
AS her handsome form foated grace
fully on the crest of the waves farther
and farther from the shore. l grew
more excited over the glorious pros
pect of heroism before me-
The laundering surf was very high
and filled with sand, showing the ebb-
ing tide was making a strong under
tow.
Recklessly or ignorant of danger
my angel continued to increase the
distance between herself and safety.
would have hallooed to her but for
the grand feeling within me that 1 was
there able and anxious to save her
Just then females agonized shrek
from the direction of the hotel brought
me to my senses. More shrieks and
hurrving crowd toward the cistern told
me that my hour of triumph had
arrived. My nerves suddenly seemed |
as iron, my head grew cool. and 1 felt.
now at last on trial, that 1 was more
han equal to the awful emergency be-
.ore me.
1 certainly preferred to rescue an
1eiress from the more romantic ocean.
but thought while pushing my way
through the terror-stricken crowd try
ng to gaze into the dark and ugly
,istern that perhaps saving her little
brother or sister might be also re-
varded with heart and hand
"Tommie had fallen into the
,isternr l waited to hear no more.
MAKE way!" 1 cried, as without
aking time to remove even my coat
plunged fearlessly into that black
md chilling rain water.
opened my eyes and tried to see,
,ut the frightened heads above me
hut out all light 1 dove and CROPPED
his way and that, vainly trying to find
he unconscious body of the drowning
hild.
listened for its cry, but the noise
.bove prevented my hearing. The
uspense was horrible. l swan to the
pening to shout for light and air.
Then down dropped q heavy ladder,
lifting me between the eyes, partially
and forcing me down, stran-
ling, to the Shiny, nasty bottom.
here in that hideous trap. if colored
yaiter hadn't at once climbed down
nd hauled me up and out, l would
ave miserably perished in trying to
ave the life of Tommie-the cat-who
rawled up the ladder after us, looking
o less ridiculous than I, gasping and
ripping, on the cistern box, with my
lir bather covered with shawl laugh
lg at us both, and offering a quarter
} the man who jumped in after her
arling Tommie.
I'm not in the life-saving business
ny more.-H c. Dodge, in Yankee
Ldde.
One for the Microbe.